I cannot even begin to tell you how uplifting it was to see three-time Academy Award nominee Laura Linney at the Bridge Theatre delivering Elizabeth Strout’s book, My Name is Lucy Barton, which was aptly adapted for the stage by Rona Munro. Tickets sold out fast for Linney and so far the Bridge Theatre has been receiving great reviews ever since its pioneering production, Julius Caesar (read my review here) was staged. I didn’t stop myself from booking a seat for the production after it, Nightfall(my review here) written by Barney Norris with cast actor, OpheliaLovibond. And here I am again regaling my positive feelings for the Bridge Theatre.

Nightfall is the part of the day when the sun goes down and the stars begin to appear. Young new writer Barney Norris has created a work that pinpoints a major crisis that has swept the nation. He writes the piece, ‘Ransom Note’ in the Bridge Theatre’s programme notes, which has tropes of a socio-political manifesto, that I deeply relate with. ‘We live in a country that has been stolen from its people.’ ‘The hijacked.’

Remember last year when theatres in America were receiving hate mail for producing shows written by Shakespeare? It was from the backlash of audience reactions to New York Public Theatre’s production of Julius Caesar. Their depiction of Caesar, based on the Roman emperor who was murdered in 44 BCE, looked very similar to the current US president. Those who had voted for Trump, including those who hadn’t seen the show, felt compelled to protest and demand the production be shut down in fear it would encourage the idea of making the play a reality – the assassination of the president and a civil war to brew.

Within the last two weeks 2018 has come into full swing. There’s been so many news bulletins from the opera, theatre and the classical music world that I’ve decided to break down the theatre news into one blog post and bring you opera and classical music news tomorrow in another post. Enjoy!

I use cookies to ensure that I give you the best experience on my blog. If you continue to use this blog, I will assume that you are happy with it.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, click Privacy Policy.OkPrivacy Policy